Eligibility

• You do not have to have received funding from the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) or Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to be eligible to apply. However, there should be pre-existing research underpinning the IAA project.
• The IAA is not intended to support 'engaged research', nor is it a vehicle for consultancy projects - there must be genuine collaboration, exchange of knowledge, and mutually agreed outcomes and impacts with an external non-academic partner.
• This is not an interdisciplinary call across AHRC/EPSRC remits though we still encourage interdisciplinary working where it supports the proposal/activity. There is, however, a single process for both EPSRC and AHRC open calls.
• Proposals should align to either the AHRC or EPSRC remits - further details about this are below. An explanation of alignment should be provided within the application. If you are not sure then contact the IAA Manager to discuss, who can confirm alignment or otherwise prior to application.
• All proposals must involve working with an external, non-academic partner.
• The PI may supervise and involve other staff (e.g., RAs or Post-Doctoral Researchers) in the delivery of IAA projects, but they remain the PI.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

We encourage Early Career Researchers to apply, under whichever definition is appropriate to your circumstances. The IAA may be able to cover costs related to parental leave, and we have made allowance for childcare costs to also be claimed via the IAA project.

Our data on previous LU IAA applicants has demonstrated that certain groups are less likely to apply for an IAA, and though we won’t ask specific questions about protected characteristics, we do encourage applications from individuals representing any of the following groups:

• Individuals who identify as female
• Individuals with a declared disability
• Individuals are representative of ethnic groups other than white.

Scope

Though we expect a broad range of ideas, activity types, and partner representatives, proposals must:

i) Include activity aligning to at least one of the following activity streams:

• Strengthen knowledge exchange through culture change, including through the development of skills for knowledge exchange activity
• Strengthen research organisation and researcher–research user engagement
• Support knowledge exchange – including at early stages of progressing research outputs and outcomes to the point when they can be supported by other funding
• Support new, innovative and imaginative approaches to KE and impact, including processes that enable “fast failure” and appropriate learning
• Support activities that enable impact to be achieved in an effective and timely manner, including secondments and people exchange

ii) Evidence alignment to either AHRC or EPSRC remits

Your project must align to at least one of the research council remits. For clarity on which discipline areas are eligible, please see either:

• The ‘AHRC Disciplines’ available via the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding guide (pp 67-74),
• The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 'list of research areas'.

In your application you will be asked to state the discipline / research area(s)s that your proposal aligns to, and to expand on remit alignment in your written application. Alignment can sometimes be difficult to discern. If exploring the AHRC remit, please refer to the AHRC/ESRC joint statement on overlapping research areas. If you are unsure then contact the IAA Manager who can provide further advice prior to application.

iii) Include expected impacts aligned to one of the following themes:

• Health and social care
• Sustainability and net-zero
• Cyber security & AI
• Place-based innovation
• Creative & cultural industries
• Digital Humanities
• Equality, diversity and inclusion in innovation and impact

iv) Work with at least one external partner

It is mandatory that you have an external (non-academic) partner for this funding scheme. We welcome projects with cash match where available. For projects citing cash match (not in-kind) from your external partner(s), a signed collaboration agreement will be required outlining payment terms and intellectual property ownership. A template of this agreement can be supplied to the partner as part of the preparation of the proposal as this will potentially save time later. Please note: Only in exceptional circumstances will amendments to the terms of the agreement be considered by the University.

Duration

Projects must conclude by December 2025.

Eligible Costs

• Grants can be up to £20,000 but smaller awards of <£5,000 also encouraged. Amounts over £20,000 will be considered on an exceptional basis (with expectation of 1:1 cash match). Please discuss with the IAA Manager(s) prior to application if >£20k.
• Full Economic Costs are not applicable/eligible (i.e., estates and indirect costs, permanent staff time etc).
• We are looking to support the additional direct costs of projects through this call – so additional Research Assistant/Post-Doctoral Researcher time, travel, consumables and small items of equipment. Equipment must be <£10K.
• Costs and approvals do not need to go through the Research Support Office, though we advise seeking assistance with staff costs from RSO, if applicable.
• Other support costs to enable project delivery (such as childcare costs for working away etc.) are allowable.
• Do consider costs and services which would incur VAT, and factor these into your budgets.

How to apply

The three funding levels are offered via this open IAA call:

• Seed funding for up to £10,000 per project, intended for short 3-6 month duration projects to enable initial researcher and external partner collaborations or for critical, emerging opportunities.
• Growth funding for up to £20,000 per project, intended to support researchers and partners with clear routes to accelerate, deepen or broaden impact over 6-12 months.
• Accelerator funding for over £20,000, intended to support teams of researchers make substantive advances with an external partner along the impact pathway. This must include cash match from your external partner (not in-kind).

To apply, you will need to complete both an online form and an accompanying case for support document (please download the case for support via the link and save a copy locally). Both should be completed by 17.00pm, 24th May 2024. Supporting guidance is embedded within the case for support and should be uploaded to the online form.

Head of Department approval emails also need to be uploaded via the online form. Please note you will either have to save the email as a PDF or if you do not have an Adobe Acrobat licence, use the snipping tool or screen shot functionality to save the email as an image file (.msg files cannot be directly uploaded via MS forms).

Proposals will be scored against the weightings outlined in the case for support, ranked, and then funding allocated based on available funds and panel discussions.

EPSRC Panel (31st May): Senior Research Development Manager (Odette Dewhurst), FST/FHM Associate Deans for Engagement (Jan Grabowski, TBC); FST Director of Partnerships and Business Engagement (Steve Fish); FST Impact Development Manager (Pam Forster).

AHRC Panel (3rd June): Senior Research Development Manager (Constanze Vageler), FASS/LUMS Associate Deans for Research/Engagement (Maria Piacentini, Charlotte Baker); FASS Partnership and Engagement Manager (Sarah Tooze); FASS Impact Development Manager (Gill Harrison).

Panel secretary: Jamie Hodge

• To maintain their impartiality, panel members are asked to not provide detailed advice to prospective applicants. For example, they can advise informally about the IAA scheme (though be mindful of capacity) but cannot review drafts or heavily influence proposal development.
• More detailed advice can be sought from the relevant Partnership or Business Development Manager for your faculty area (depending on capacity).
• Outcomes expected to be communicated by 7th June. Detailed feedback will follow but won’t be provided immediately.
• Technical queries to IAA Partnership Development Manager (j.p.hodge@lancaster.ac.uk).

This call will be managed by Jamie Hodge (IAA Partnership Development Manager) and Mark Bowen (Business Gateway Manager).

See press releases below related to IAA projects across AHRC and EPSRC:

See Joint IAA Call Projects for the latest projects awarded funding.